Ancient Aztec Dancing In A Digital Environment: by Jillian Laurel Steinberger

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Steps as fast as any Irish jig, precisely executed by nearly a dozen feathered and sequined dancers. Powerful, primal percussion that, while ancient and holy, inspire foot-tapping, hip-shaking and head-bobbing worthy of Hip Hop. I want to dance. Apparently, Danza Teokalli has that effect for my friend and fellow Be-In reporter, glamorous sparklegrrl Joyce Slaton, whispers that she wants to get out on the floor, too. The audience stands around the circle of dancers who are practicing what is for them, I am told explicitly, religion. The simplicity of the performance's components - movement, drums, rhythmic stomping, rattles, whistles and hoots, belie the largeness of the atmosphere as dried sap from the Copal tree burns and a pleasing, sweetly woodsy fragrance envelopes the main floor at 1015 Folsom. It is an auspicious way to open Be-In#10. Appropriate, too: this is San Francisco, after all, which was once a part of Mexico. Which was once peopled by indigenous tribes. And which today is known for its vibrant Latino culture. Danza Teokalli are an ensemble based in San Francisco's Mission District. Tonight they include Conne Rivera, Sandra Mota, Ariel Vargas, Francisco Duran, Vanessa Mosqueda, Alma Sanchez, Juan Esteva, Luis Gutierrez, Santos Perez, Yolanda Caballero, Maricella Sainez and drummer Ricardo Pena. While the dances are Aztec, the troup is multicultural Mexican-style: members represent several indigenous Mexican ethnicities. Juan Esteva tells me that many Aztec symbols, such as the feather serpent, or quetzlcoatl, are holy for tribes from all over Mexico, such as the Toltecs and Mayans. I hung with the dancers before their performance. According to Vanessa Mosqueda, "The dances represent our culture, and they are religious. We're paying respect to the four directions, East, West, North and South, and to the four elements, water, air, fire and earth. We are Chicanos and Mexicans finding our ancestry so we can continue the culture. " Vanessa explained that each dancer makes his or her own costume in order to express their personal essence: "I represent the skeleton and the serpent, " she told me, "and that is what my costume shows with its symbols. My costume expresses me by showing that I am feminine but also a warrior - a warrior Aztec woman. That's me. " Some of the dancers wear headdresses with feathers near five feet tall. According to Yolanda Caballero, feathers represent energy, or sun rays. "Everything means something, everything is a symbol, " she said. Juan further explained that Aztec cosmology is based on the number four - hence the importance of the four directions and the four elements. The dancers represent planets, and their circle symbolizes the universe. Every performance begins with El Permiso, when the troup asks permission from the gods to dance. This is followed by La Cruz, where they form a cross and salute the four directions, and then by La Antiqua, in which the ancestors are honored. The dancers may then choose what they wish to perform. Tonight we see Iztacuahutli, the Eagle Dance, in which an eagle captures a warrior's spirit, then El Guajito and Tonatzin, or 'Mother Earth, ' and finally La Xitontequiza, which means 'Cosmic Movement. ' Afterwards, the troup gathers in private to thank the gods. So what does Danza Teokalli think of digital technology? According to Juan, "We're doing it for the human rights issue, that's what brought us here. But some of us like computers, too. " And what do they think of dancing under strobe lights, with psychedelic computer graphics projected on a screen? No consensus on this score, either. For Sandra Mota, "The energy is different. It's harder to dance in the moving lights. " But Vanessa feels differently: "When I danced tonight I felt the energy very strongly. Maybe it's because I'm used to a club atmosphere. And I teach rhythm and motion - it's called a Fusion class - at the Mission Cultural Center. My class includes Haitian, Aztec, ballet, modern, jazz. . . So I like mixing things up. And digital technology is great. Anyone is capable of doing what they want to do, whatever is in their heart, including computers. "